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Tom Knight backs James Buchanan in HD 72 special election

Sarasota County Sheriff Tom Knight is backing James Buchanan in the special election for House District 72, which was vacated by Alex Miller on Sept. 1.

“I know James will give law enforcement the support we need to keep our community safe. He stands with us, so I will stand with him,” Knight said in press release.

Knight joins other area Republicans, including future Senate President Bill Galvanoand state Rep. Jim Boyd, in endorsing Buchanan, who is the son of U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan.

“Tom Knight is beloved by our community and is one of the most respected Sheriff’s in our state. I am proud to have him on our team,” Buchanan said.

Buchanan, who filed for HD 72 within an hour of Miller announcing her resignation, is the only Republican in the race.

Buchanan is an alumnus of Florida State University and the University of South Florida, where he earned an MBA. He has worked as a real estate agent since 2006 and is longstanding member of the National Association of Realtors, Florida Association of Realtors, as well as the Realtor Association of Sarasota and Manatee Counties.

Also running for the Sarasota County seat is Libertarian Alison Foxall and Democrats Margaret Goodand Rita Jouniari, who announced her candidacy Friday.

Gov. Rick Scott set the primary election for Dec. 5, with the general election to follow on Feb. 13. The deadline for candidates to enter the race is Sept. 28.

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.